The ACT's Chief Minister has issued a plea to unvaccinated people under 30, urging them not to take unnecessary risks over the next three months.
Andrew Barr said people aged between 16 and 29 were most likely to contract the virus, as he again expressed his frustration at a lack of available Pfizer vaccines.
Bookings for Pfizer vaccines for that age group at ACT government clinics opened on Wednesday, and more than 17,000 people scheduled their appointment.
However, they could not book vaccine timeslots until October at the soonest.
Mr Barr said this meant people would not be fully protected by two vaccine doses for another two or three months.
"Some people in that age cohort, please be very careful with what you do over the next few months. Please don't take unnecessary risks," he said.
"You are the most prone now to contract the virus. This virus is going and circulating amongst the unvaccinated predominantly."
An unvaccinated man in his 20s is currently being ventilated in intensive care in Canberra Hospital. The man has no underlying health conditions.
Mr Barr again urged unvaccinated people to consider getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"The best vaccine you can get is the one you can get today," he said.
"The AstraZeneca vaccine is available today from GPs and pharmacists."
Canberra's lockdown is set to go until midnight Friday, September 17, after it was extended earlier this week.
Mr Barr urged people to follow public health directions in order to ensure Christmas can be celebrated with family and friends.
"The measures are put in place to protect you, to protect your family and to protect our community," he said.
"If we continue to do this, over the next few months ... we can all look forward to much better days.
"A great Christmas with all our family and friends, a Christmas where the gift we are bringing is not another case of COVID but an opportunity to come together as a community."
